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Jobs of the Future:Data Analysis Skills

Sponsored by

November 2016

SHRM Survey Findings

About SHRM

Founded in 1948, the Society for

Human Resource Management

(SHRM) is the world’s largest HR

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to human resource management.

Representing more than 275,000

members in over 160 countries, the

Society is the leading provider of

resources to serve the needs of HR

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and United Arab Emirates. Visit us

at shrm.org.

Table of Contents

3 Introduction

4 Key Findings

5 Implications of This Research

6 Demand for Data Analysis Skills

11 Function and Level of Positions

20 Required Technical Skills and Education

25 Conclusion and Resources

28 Demographics

35 Survey Methodology

Jobs of the Future: Data Analysis Skills ©SHRM 2016 2

http://www.shrm.org/

Introduction

3

The purpose of this research is to inform workforce planning efforts for jobs of the future—occupations that are predicted to grow over the

next 5-10 years. The report covers the supply and demand for data analysis skills, the function and types of employees needed for these

jobs, and skill and education requirements at different levels.

For this study, data analysis skills were defined as the ability to gather, analyze and draw practical conclusions from data, as well as

communicate data findings to others. Some examples of jobs that require data analysis skills are data analyst, data scientist, statistician,

market research analyst, financial analyst and research manager.

This research aimed to be comprehensive in scope, covering entry-level to executive-level positions. It included jobs that required the

ability to conduct advanced data analysis as well as jobs that solely required the ability to understand, interpret and communicate data

findings to others.

Jobs of the Future: Data Analysis Skills ©SHRM 2016

Key Findings

4Jobs of the Future: Data Analysis Skills ©SHRM 2016

• The majority of organizations (82%)

currently have or expect to have positions

that require data analysis skills in 2016.

Demand has been increasing and is

expected to continue growing over the

next five years. In the last 12 months,

more than three-quarters of organizations

(78%) reported difficulty recruiting for data

analysis positions.

• The most common functional areas for

data analysis positions are accounting and

finance (71%), human resources (54%)

and business administration (50%).

Usually these are full-time positions at

mid-level management (79%) and

individual contributor (73%) levels.

However, 60% of organizations require

senior management or executives to have

data analysis skills.

• At the basic skill level, organizations

typically require a high school diploma

(35%) or a bachelor’s degree (35%),

whereas 14% require an associate’s

degree. Often job announcements do not

specify or require a particular field of study

(61%).

• The need for moderate skill levels is most

prevalent (83%), and organizations

typically require a bachelor’s degree for

these skill levels. At least one-third of

organizations prefer a degree in analytics,

computer science or statistics.

• For advanced skills, most organizations

require either a bachelor’s (57%) or a

master’s (25%) degree. Although statistics

and analytics are the most commonly

preferred fields, some organizations have

a need for degrees in engineering (35%)

and data science (27%).

59% of organizations

expect to increase the

number of positions

requiring data

analysis skills over

the next five years.

Implications of This Research

5

Most organizations already have a number of jobs that involve data

analysis. Economists and labor market forecasters project that

these types of occupations will grow faster than average in the

coming decade (see the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational

Outlook Handbook for detailed projections). Many HR and staffing

professionals will be seeking out talent for these types of roles in

the years ahead, and many are likely to find it challenging for a

number of reasons. First, the skills needed for these types of roles

can often be high, necessitating specific educational qualifications

or certifications. In addition, the fast pace of technological

development means that the types of technologies and

applications workers in this field will need to be familiar with will

turn over rapidly. This is likely to necessitate near-constant

learning and training among data analysts to stay up to date.

However, concerns that investments in training will be lost as

employees with in-demand skills find new opportunities could

make it challenging for HR to make a case for more investments in

employee learning and skills.

The following research underscores HR professionals’ awareness

of the growing demand for talent with data analysis skills and the

difficulties they are already experiencing when securing the talent

they need for these roles. Although these types of jobs flourish in a

number of functional areas, many are concentrated in accounting

and finance, and this is likely to continue to be an area where filling

open positions is difficult. The financial industry tends to have

higher than average wage rates; compensation is therefore likely

to be a central part of strategies to recruit and retain data analytics

workers in both the finance function and the financial industry.

Growing complexity in the practice of data analytics could push

many organizations to seek out talent with skills beyond the

moderate level. In this type of environment, HR will experience

even more difficulty with skills shortages, recruiting and retention.

HR will need to prepare through rigorous workforce planning to

deal with these challenges.


http://www.bls.gov/ooh/

Demand for Data Analysis Skills

Prevalence of Positions Requiring Data Analysis Skills

80%

18%

2%

Yes No No, butexpect to in

2016

Require Data Analysis Skills

Definition

Data analysis skills:

the ability to gather,

analyze and draw

practical conclusions

from data, as well as

communicate data

findings to others.

Examples

• Data analyst

• Data scientist

• Statistician

• Market research

analyst

• Financial analyst

• Research manager

n = 398

Four out of five organizations (80%) currently had positions that required data analysis skills, and

another 2% expected to create such positions in 2016. Publicly owned for-profit organizations

were more likely than privately owned for-profit organizations to have data analysis positions.


93%

77%

Publicly ownedfor-profit

Privately ownedfor-profit

Comparisons by Sector

Note: Only statistically significant

differences are shown. Dark bars are

statistically larger than light bars.

Demand for Positions Requiring Data Analysis Skills

65% 32% 4%Past 5 years(n = 298)

Increase Same Decrease

U.S. Bureau of Labor

Statistics Employment

Projections 2014-2024

Statisticians

• 33.8% growth

• 10,000 new jobs

Operations research

analysts

• 30.2% growth

• 27,600 new jobs

Market research

analysts and marketing

specialists

• 18.6% growth

• 92,300 new jobs

8

Note: Percentages may not total 100% due to rounding.


5% 54% 40% 1%Next 5 years

(n = 295)

LargeIncrease

ModerateIncrease

Same Decrease

Over the past five years, nearly two-thirds of organizations (65%) had increased the

number of positions requiring data analysis skills, and 59% expect to increase the

number of positions at their organizations over the next five years.

Hiring Data Analysis Positions in the Last 12 Months

Other SHRM Research

The New Talent

Landscape: Recruiting

Difficulty and Skills

Shortages

Recruiting Difficulty

• Scientists and

mathematicians were

the second most difficult

job category to recruit

for (behind high-skilled

medical positions).

Top Recruiting

Strategies

• 70% social media

• 58% collaborating with

educational institutions

• 49% expanding

advertising efforts


72%

28%

Yes No

Hired Data Analysis Positions

3%

19%

68%

10%

Veryeasy

Somewhateasy

Somewhatdifficult

Verydifficult

Recruiting Difficulty

Note: n = 268. Respondents who said “don’t

know” were excluded from this analysis.

Note: n = 193. Respondents who said “don’t

know” were excluded from this analysis.

Just under three-quarters of organizations (72%) had hired data analysis positions in the last

12 months. Of those, 78% reported difficulty recruiting for these positions.

https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/trends-and-forecasting/research-and-surveys/pages/talent-landscape.aspx

Hiring Data Analysis Positions in the Last 12 Months


57%

60%

84%

95%

95%

25 to 99

100 to499

500 to2,499

2,500 to9,999

10,000or more

Nu

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By Organization Staff Size

Note: Only statistically significant differences are shown. Dark bars are statistically larger than light bars.

Organizations with 500 or more employees were more

likely than organizations with 25 to 499 employees to have

hired data analysis positions in the last 12 months.

Comparisons by Organization Staff Size and Sector

94%

71% 69% 66%

Publiclyowned

for-profit

Nonprofit Government Privatelyowned for-

profit

By Organization Sector

Publicly owned for-profit organizations were more likely

than all other sectors to have hired for positions requiring

data analysis skills in the last 12 months.

Function and Level of Positions

Functional Areas for Positions Requiring Data Analysis Skills

9%

18%

27%

28%

40%

43%

50%

54%

71%

Other

Customer Service

Research & Development

Supply Chain & Operations

Marketing, Advertising & Sales

Information Technology

Business & Administration

Human Resources

Accounting & Finance

HR People + Strategy

Research: Big Data

• 53% of HR departments

use big data to help

make strategic

decisions.

How HR uses big data:

• 71% sourcing,

recruitment or selection

• 63% identifying causes

of turnover and/or

employee retention

strategies or trends

• 61% managing talent

and performance

Why organizations do

not use big data:

• 51% lack of knowledge/

expertise

• 30% not enough data

collected/available

Note: n = 300. Percentages do not total 100% due to multiple response options.

The majority of organizations (71%) had data analysis positions within the accounting and

finance department. At least one-half of organizations required data analysis skills for

positions within human resources (54%) or business and administration (50%) units.




40%

42%

79%

25 to 99

100 to499

10,000or more

Num

ber

of E

mplo

yees

Human Resources

Note: Only statistically significant differences are shown. Dark bars are statistically larger than light bars within the same functional area.

24%

18%

24%

57%

25 to 99

100 to499

500 to2,499

10,000or more

Nu

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Organizations with 10,000 or more employees were

more likely than organizations with 25 to 499

employees to have data analysis positions in the

human resource function.

Comparisons by Organization Staff Size

Organizations with 10,000 or more employees were

more likely than organizations with 25 to 2,499

employees to have positions requiring data analysis

skills in the supply chain and operations function.



Note: Only statistically significant differences are shown. Dark bars are statistically larger than light bars within the same functional area.

Publicly and privately owned for-profit organizations

were more likely than government organizations to

have data analysis positions in the marketing,

advertising and sales function.

Comparisons by Organization Sector

Publicly owned for-profit organizations were more

likely than nonprofit and government organizations to

have positions requiring data analysis skills in the

supply chain and operations function.

55%44%

14%


Privately ownedfor-profit

Government

Marketing, Advertising & Sales

44%

19%11%


Nonprofit Government


Employment Type for Positions Requiring Data Analysis Skills

98%

15%11% 11%

Full time Part time Contract/temporary

Intern


15

The vast majority of organizations (98%) that required data analysis skills had full-time positions. Few organizations had part-time,

contract/temporary and internship positions.


Employment Levels Requiring Data Analysis Skills

60%

79%

73%

27%

Senior managementor executive

Mid-level management

Nonmanagement/individual contributor

Entry level


16

The majority of organizations required data analysis skills for mid-level management (79%) or individual contributors (73%). Three out of

five organizations (60%) had a need for data analysis skills at the senior management or executive level.


Employment Levels Requiring Data Analysis Skills


64%

93%

25 to 99

10,000or more

Nu

mb

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loye

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Nonmanagement/Individual Contributor

Note: Only statistically significant differences are shown. Dark bars are statistically larger than light bars within the same job title.

67%

96%

2,500 to9,999

10,000or more

Nu

mb

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Mid-Level Management

Organizations with 10,000 or more

employees were more likely than

organizations with 25 to 99 employees

to have individual contributor positions.

Comparisons by Organization Staff Size and Sector


employees were more likely than those

with 2,500 to 9,999 employees to have

mid-level management positions.

Publicly owned for-profit organizations

were more likely than privately owned

for-profit and nonprofit organizations to

have individual contributor positions.

91%

72%67%

Publiclyowned

for-profit

Privatelyowned

for-profit

Nonprofit

Nonmanagement/ Individual Contributor

Job Titles Used to Advertise for Data Analysis Positions


8%

3%

10%

11%

18%

5%

6%

9%

13%

14%

18%

42%

54%

76%

Other

Mathematician

Statistician

Researcher

Other Descriptive Titles

Scientist

Research scientist

Data scientist

Scientist-Based Titles

Market research analyst

Research analyst

Data analyst

Analyst

Analyst-Based Titles

Descriptive Titles

n = 293. Percentages do not total 100% due to multiple response options.

15%

27%

29%

51%

56%

74%

6%

21%

29%

31%

31%

71%

Senior vice president

Vice president

Supervisor

Director

Manager

Management Titles

Chief

Assistant

Associate

Coordinator

Senior

Nonmanagement Titles

Level-Based Titles

Three-quarters of organizations had analyst-based (76%) and management (74%) job titles for positions requiring data analysis skills.

Many organizations (71%) also used nonmanagement titles based on level, such as senior, coordinator or associate. Thirteen percent

said they used scientist in job titles, and 18% had other descriptive titles like researcher or statistician.

Job Titles Used to Advertise for Data Analysis Positions


32%

42%

66%

83%

82%

25 to 99

100 to499

500 to2,499

2,500 to9,999

10,000or more

Nu

mb

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loye

es

Analyst

Note: Only statistically significant differences are shown. Dark bars are statistically larger than light bars within the same job title.

2%

7%

3%

29%

29%

25 to 99

100 to499

500 to2,499

2,500 to9,999

10,000or more

Nu

mb

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of E

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loye

es

Data Scientist

4%

6%

9%

36%

25 to 99

100 to499

500 to2,499

10,000or more

Nu

mb

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loye

es

Statistician

Organizations with 500 or more


organizations with 25 to 499

employees to use analyst as the title.

Comparisons by Organization Staff Size



organizations with 25 to 2,499

employees to use data scientist as the

title.



organizations with 25 to 2,499

employees to use statistician as the

title.

Required Technical Skills and Education

Skill Levels Required for Data Analysis Positions

58%

83%

59%

ADVANCEDDesign and implement innovative/original

models and analysis tools

MODERATEConduct advanced analysis using

specialized software or analysis tools

BASICConduct simple analysis using

spreadsheets and accurately interpretand communicate results

Comparisons by

Organization Staff Size

Basic Skill Level

Organizations with 500

to 2,499 employees

(73%) were more likely

than organizations with

25 to 99 employees

(45%) to require basic

data analysis skills.

Advanced Skill Level

Organizations with

10,000 or more

employees (82%) were

more likely than

organizations with 25 to

99 employees (50%) to

require advanced data

analysis skills.

Note: Only statistically

significant differences

are shown.

21



The majority of organizations (83%) required a moderate skill level for data analysis positions,

and more than one-half had a need for either basic (59%) or advanced (58%) skills.

Technical Skills Required or Preferred at Each Skill Level

2%

43%

48%

57%

74%

78%

2%

41%

30%

48%

81%

86%

1%

20%

14%

23%

83%

67%

Other technical skills

Data mining/machine learning

Big data computing/coding(Python, Hadoop, SQL, etc.)

Statistical software (R, SAS,SPSS, JMP, Minitab, etc.)

Spreadsheets or simpleanalysis tools

Interpret and communicate dataanalysis results to others

Basic(n = 149)

Moderate(n = 232)

Advanced(n = 162)

Note: Percentages do not total 100% due to multiple response options.


60%of organizations had

positions that require

the ability to interpret

and communicate

data analysis results,

but did not require

gathering or

analyzing data.

Minimum Education Requirement, by Skill Level

0%

3%

25%

9%

57%

2%

1%

3%

0%

0%

5%

5%

68%

10%

4%

7%

2%

0%

2%

6%

35%

14%

6%

35%

No minimum educationrequirement

Doctoral

Master's

Graduate degree preferredbut not required

Bachelor's

Associate's

Postsecondary certificate/credential

High school diploma or equivalent

Basic(n = 171)

Moderate(n = 246)

Advanced(n = 174)

Comparisons by

Organization Sector

Master’s Degree at the

Moderate Level

Nonprofit organizations


than privately owned

for-profit organizations

(2%) to require a

master’s degree at the

moderate skill level.



are shown.

23



At the basic skill level, about one-third of organizations required a high school diploma or

equivalent or a bachelor’s degree. Moderate and advanced level skilled positions were most

likely to require a bachelor’s degree, but one-quarter required a master’s at the advanced level.

Fields of Study Required or Preferred, by Skill Level

9%

13%

27%

35%

32%

37%

49%

43%

21%

9%

8%

19%

24%

30%

40%

34%

46%

33%

6%

6%

11%

12%

18%

16%

19%

26%

61%

Other field

Physics

Data science

Engineering

Mathematics

Computer science

Statistics

Analytics

No field required or preferred

Basic(n = 141)

Moderate(n = 226)

Advanced(n = 139)

Comparisons by

Organization Sector

Engineering at the

Advanced Level

Privately owned for-

profit organizations


than nonprofit

organizations (14%) to

require or prefer a

degree in engineering at

the advanced level.



are shown.

24



At the basic skill level, three out of five organizations (61%) did not require or prefer a particular

field of study. For moderate level skilled jobs, many organizations were looking for a degree in

analytics, computer science or statistics. Advanced level skilled positions required similar fields,

but more organizations needed candidates who studied engineering, data science and physics.

Conclusion and Resources

Conclusion

Organizations are experiencing recruiting difficulty for positions that require data analysis skills, and it is expected that the demand for

these positions will continue to increase over the next 5-10 years. Therefore, it will be important for organizations to engage in workforce

planning to define future business needs, identify skills/knowledge gaps between the existing and future workforce, and develop

strategies to meet these needs, especially for in-demand skills. Below is an overview of the workforce planning process, with additional

resources provided on the next page.

Workforce Planning

• Set strategic direction: composition and content of workforce needed for future business objectives

• Analyze workforce: supply analysis, demand analysis and gap analysis

• Develop action plan: recruiting and training plans to deal with gaps

• Implement action plan

• Monitor, evaluate and revise plan

Keys for Success

• Involve key stakeholders in the process, including a high-level executive who will support the plan

• Align with organization’s strategic business plan

• Coordinate with succession planning and career development initiatives

• Make workforce planning an ongoing activity

Challenges

• Technology requirements: the use of advanced technology solutions to integrate disparate planning sources

• Data availability and format: access to and understanding of the organization’s data and analytics

• Developing a business case to gain support from senior management

• Collaboration among HR staff, managers and executives


Resources

27

Other SHRM Research

The New Talent Landscape: Recruiting Difficulty and Skills Shortages

shrm.org/research

SHRM Member Resources (SHRM member login required)

Toolkits: Practicing the Discipline of Workforce Planning

Presentations: Workforce Planning Training for Supervisors

Q&A’s: Staffing: Planning: How do we develop a staffing plan?

Additional member resources: HR Help

SHRM Foundation ResourcesShaping the Future: Research on critical trends likely to affect the workplace in the next 5-10 years

1. Evolution of Work and the Worker

2. Engaging and Integrating a Global Workforce

3. Use of Workforce Analytics for Competitive Advantage

Other Resources

Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook

National Science Foundation: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics

Bechet, T. P. (2008). Strategic Staffing. SHRM/AMACOM. Available from the SHRMStore.

Ward, D. L., & Tripp, R. (2013). Positioned: Strategic Workforce Planning That Gets the Right Person in the Right Job. AMACOM.

Young, M. B. (2009). Implementing Strategic Workforce Planning [report R-1444-09-RR]. The Conference Board.


https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/trends-and-forecasting/research-and-surveys/pages/talent-landscape.aspx

https://www.shrm.org/research

https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and-samples/toolkits/pages/practicingworkforceplanning.aspx

https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and-samples/presentations/pages/workforceplanningtraining.aspx

https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and-samples/hr-qa/pages/howdowedevelopastaffingplan.aspx

https://www.shrm.org/ResourcesAndTools/tools-and-samples/Pages/HR-Help.aspx

https://www.shrm.org/about/foundation/shapingthefuture/pages/futoreofhr.aspx

http://www.bls.gov/ooh/

https://nsf.gov/statistics/

https://store.shrm.org/strategic-staffing.html

Demographics

Demographics: Organization Industry



Percentage

Manufacturing 23%

Health care and social assistance 15%

Professional, scientific and technical services 15%

Finance and insurance 11%

Educational services 11%

Government agencies 10%

Retail trade 7%

Transportation and warehousing 7%

Construction 6%

Utilities 5%

Accommodation and food services 4%

Demographics: Organization Industry (continued)



Percentage

Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services 4%

Religious, grant-making, civic, professional and similar organizations 4%

Arts, entertainment, and recreation 4%

Real estate and rental and leasing 2%

Repair and maintenance 2%

Wholesale trade 2%

Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction 2%

Information 2%

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting 2%

Personal and laundry services 0%

Other industry 12%

Demographics: Organization Sector

Note: n = 372. Percentages do not total 100% due to rounding.


2%

11%

16%

22%

49%

Other

Government

Publicly owned for-profit

Nonprofit/not-for-profit organization

Privately owned for-profit

Demographics: Organization Staff Size

Note: n = 346. Percentages do not total 100% due to rounding.


8%

8%

21%

41%

22%

10,000 or more employees

2,500 to 9,999 employees

500 to 2,499 employees

100 to 499 employees

25 to 99 employees

Demographics: Region

n = 366


19%

21%

24%

36%

Northeast

West

Midwest

South

Demographics: Other

n = 371

34

Does your organization have U.S.-based operations

(business units) only, or does it operate multinationally?

U.S.-based operations only 75%

Multinational operations 25%

Is your organization a single-unit organization or a multi-

unit organization?

Single-unit organization: An organization in which

the location and the organization are one and the

same.

33%

Multi-unit organization: An organization that has

more than one location.67%

What is the HR department/function for which you

responded throughout this survey?

Corporate (all locations in the

U.S.)74%

Some locations in the U.S. 3%

Facility/location 23%

For multi-unit organizations, are HR policies and

practices determined by the multi-unit headquarters, by

each work location or by both?

Multi-unit headquarters determines HR policies

and practices.49%

Each work location determines HR policies and

practices.5%

A combination of both the work location and the

multi-unit headquarters determines HR policies

and practices.

46%

n = 374

n = 259

n = 259


Jobs of the Future: Data Analysis Skills

Sponsored by

35

Project lead

Tanya Mulvey, researcher, SHRM

Research

Project contributors

Evren Esen, SHRM-SCP, director,

workforce analytics, SHRM Research

Jennifer Schramm, M. Phil., SHRM-SCP,

manager, workforce trends and forecasting,

SHRM Research

Copy editing

Katya Scanlan, copy editor

• Response rate = 11%

• 398 HR professionals from a randomly selected sample of SHRM’s membership

with an organization staff size of 25 or more employees participated in this

survey.

• Margin of error +/-5%

• Survey fielded August 15-September 14, 2016


Survey Methodology

SHRM Survey Findings

data analysis skills - shrm online · data analysis skills sponsored by november 2016 shrm survey...

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